Single Idea 13790

[catalogued under 5. Theory of Logic / F. Referring in Logic / 1. Naming / a. Names]

Full Idea

The name-giver might have made a mistake at the beginning and then forced the other names to be consistent with it.

Gist of Idea

A name-giver might misname something, then force other names to conform to it

Source

Plato (Cratylus [c.375 BCE], 436c)

Book Reference

Plato: 'Complete Works', ed/tr. Cooper,John M. [Hackett 1997], p.152


A Reaction

Lovely. This is Gareth Evans's 'Madagascar' example. See Idea 9041.

Related Idea

Idea 9041 The Causal Theory of Names is wrong, since the name 'Madagascar' actually changed denotation [Evans]